SPORTS
PHOTO Spring Sing
Ramsey rewarded through patience
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THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2014 • WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY • WKUHERALD.COM • VOLUME 89 NO. 46
culture of
CHANGE
Campus community remembers steps toward equality
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BY CASEY DOWNEY LIFE@WKUHERALD.COM
aundra Ardrey was just 10 years old when she first marched in the streets of North Carolina. “My Dad was involved in the Civil Rights Move-
ment,” Ardrey said. “It was just part of what I did as a child.” While activists in the South campaigned for equality in schools and fair use of public places and facilities, people up North fought for equal job and housing opportunities. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex or race in hiring, promoting, and firing. President Lyndon Johnson signing the legislation was a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement. The Movement officially began with the 1954 trial Brown v. Board of Education, where “separate but equal” clauses relating to the education system were ruled unconstitutional. The decision was a sign of change for schools in the South, but the process of desegregation was a slow-moving one for many states. Some public schools took as long as 10 years to begin the process. Ardrey, head of the Political Science department and Director of WKU's African-American Studies department, grew up in a segregated neighborhood. Her first experience in a desegregated school was at Ohio State University as a graduate student. “I was the only woman and the only African-American in my class,” Ardrey said. “I had several teachers tell me SEE CIVIL RIGHTS PAGE A3
IN MY SKIN
President Dero Downing talks to students who rallied at the Adminstration Building to protest that two African-Americans be added to the university cheerleading squad on Sept. 8, 1972. PHOTO COURTESY OF WKU ARCHIVES
Greek Week continues with Greek Feud BY KAYLA BOYD NEWS@WKUHERALD.COM
BOSNIAN REFUGEE KEEPS HERITAGE CLOSE TO HEART PAGE B1
THU 73°/54° FRI 72°/55° SAT 73°/59° SUN 77°/61°
Morganfield senior Coleman West of Farmhouse fraternity (left), La Grange sophomore Colton Hounshell of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity (center), and Lexington freshman Marshal Aiken of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity compete in an ice cream eating challenge during Greek Feud Tuesday at the Downing Student Union auditorium. MIKE CLARK/HERALD
Greek Week is rife with excitement and challenges to honor the individual organizations and celebrate philanthropy. Sunday introduced Spring Sing, Monday kicked off a week-long blood drive and Tuesday tested knowledge of each sorority’s and fraternity’s knowledge of all things Greek and WKU. Greek Feud, held in the Downing Student Union on Tuesday night, was highly anticipated by all members of the Greek community. The lobby outside the auditorium filled with Greek letter tees over an hour before the event began. Shortly after the doors opened, the place was packed, as girls greeted one another and guys found their brothers. In the Jeopardy-style game, each chapter nominated a member to represent their organization. Through four rounds of questions, four nominees from the sororities or fraternities were quizzed at a time. The contestants were drilled on their knowledge of mascots to colors, WKU’s history to founding days. Not so Jeopardy-esque were the physical challenges, essentially replacing Daily Double
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